Yami's Gone
by Calai'di
Summary: What starts out to be a normal day in Battle City ends with Yugi struggling to save Yami and his Puzzle. Will Yugi and his mysterious ally ever make it to the end of the maze?
1. So it Begins

Calai'di– Ha, I wrote this a long time ago, so the time period is during Battle City, after Malik and Bakura made their deal but before the Battle Ship.

I'm going to try to use the original names, but I wrote this using dub names first and I might have missed some.

Yami Bakura is referred to as 'Bakura' and good Bakura is 'Ryou'

Chapter 1: So it Begins

"Yugi, are you sure you want to do this?" Yami asked as Yugi Mutou got dressed for Battle City.

"Why not? I think I can go out on my own, Yami" Yugi argued back.

"Yes, I know," Yami answered smiling. "But today I'm not sure you should be walking around alone."

"I won't be alone. Anzu's coming along for a change." He turned away from the mirror. "Besides, I'll still have the Puzzle with me."

"All right. But be careful, I sense something about this day that could mean trouble for both of us."

"I will be. Malik's still out there and now he's more dangerous than before. Don't worry, I'm more concerned about our Puzzle than myself." Yugi said as he put on the Millennium Puzzle. Yami was looking out the window at the street.

"Yugi, I think Anzu's here."

"All ready? Well, let's get going then!" Yugi ran out of his room as he pulled his Duel Disk onto his left arm. Yami disappeared.

"Yugi! What took you so long?" Anzu exclaimed, hands on hips.

"Sorry, Anzu. I was talking to Yami. We need to be careful today; he thinks something might happen to one of us," he answered.

"All right. C'mon, let's see if we can meet Jonouchi and Honda." She started of down the street with Yugi close behind.

"Yeah, and not run into trouble," Yugi added.

Yugi and Anzu wandered up and down the streets of Battle City searching for any sign of Jonouchi and watching out for Rare Hunters. Once, they walked right past one but he seemed to be preoccupied with another duelist. After a couple of hours, they still had seen no sign of Jonouchi or Honda and they had seen another Rare Hunter.

"Where are they?" Anzu asked hopelessly as they turned a corner. The Rare Hunter they had seen seemed to be following them.

"I don't see any sign of them," Yugi answered, looking around. "Do you think they found the sight for the finals already?"

"I really don't know what to think right now, except that were being followed."

"I know. I'm starting to think Yami might be right about today. And he might be right about him being out here instead of me."

"Yugi Mutou!" They both whirled to see who was talking. Behind them was a boy, about 15, looking at Yugi with disbelief. He was tall, about six-foot, with blue, ear-length hair and was holding a deck in one hand. He started to speak again.

"Hi! My name is Tanith, and I've read all about you. About how you beat Pegasus J. Crawford even though he is the creator of Duel Monsters. It's been my greatest dream to duel you," he said in rush of breath. Yugi looked really taken aback.

"Uh, well, I guess so, sure," Yugi answered uncertainly. Tanith looked thrilled.

"All right! But, not here," he looked around nervously, like something was going to attack him at any moment. Yugi could sense Yami tense up somewhere some where in his head.

"Why not?" Anzu asked. Tanith looked at her as if he had just noticed her for the first time.

"Because…I'm being followed," he answered. Yugi heard Yami call his name but he ignored it. Tanith continued, "I'm not sure who's following me but they're people in black robes, which must be awfully hot, but they're also really creepy because they're walking around like zombies." Here he stopped, examining Yugi's expression. Yugi looked like he was a zombie himself because of the fear and recognition showing on his face. Tanith looked surprised.

"I'm sorry, do you know them?" he asked politely.

"Yes, only too well," Yugi answered slowly. "They're called Rare Hunters and they've been following me too, or so it seems after all the times I've run into them. But at least I have a reason why. Why are they following you?"

"I'm not really sure. I think I have something they want," Tanith said, looking down at his deck.

"What's that?" Yugi asked.

"My Buster Blader card. It's the rarest card in my deck but since I still have it I'm in real trouble with the wrong people. I thought, if I lost in a duel and lost my card I wouldn't be a target anymore, but I haven't been able to lose because of it. So if I dueled you than I'd probably lose and lose my card and then they wouldn't follow me anymore."

"Tanith, that's no way to treat your cards. Hoping to lose in a duel won't make it happen. You should be proud of your dueling abilities and the fact that you haven't lost yet. I'm sure a lot of duelists in Battle City can't boast that."

"Yeah, well, it's sort-of making me paranoid and I won't be able to stand it much longer."

"Have any Rare Hunters asked to duel you yet?"

"Yes, but I ran away. I have a bad feeling about them and I don't want my Buster Blader to be in their hands. I'd rather it was won from me by an honorable duelist, like you," Tanith said, looking at his feet. Some where in the back of his mind, Yugi heard Yami say, "Well, at least he has that much respect for his cards. Be wary of him Yugi, I'm not getting a good feeling about him."

"So, where do you want to duel?" Yugi asked cautiously.

"Over here, follow me!" Tanith replied. He ran down an alleyway and Yugi and Anzu followed. The alley wasn't very narrow, the three of them could have fit side by side and still have room to move, but it seemed like it could collapse on them any second because of how high the walls were. They stretched upwards farther than you could see and as a result the alley was very dark. Yugi could only just make out Tanith's silhouette, half because of how dark it was and half because of how far ahead of them he was. However, the alley seemed to be getting darker by the second, as if the shadows were creeping in on them, trying to absorb the three into their depths forever. After a few minutes, Yugi stopped, panting, and called out to Tanith.

"Tanith, stop!" He heard the footsteps ahead of them slow and turn around to face them. "Where are you taking us? This alley goes on forever," he said into the darkness ahead. There was an unnerving silence and then Yugi heard a voice answer, "You'll soon see, Yugi Mutou." The voice sounded like Tanith's, and though it was slightly different, it wasn't enough of a difference to worry about. Yugi heard the feet turn back around and start running away again. _Well, at least he knows where we're going,_ he thought as he started again following the steps so he wouldn't lose them. The alley started to get colder, as if the walls were draining all of the heat away. Suddenly, the feet stopped and began running toward Yugi. But this time, several feet followed. Tanith ran straight into Yugi and the fell to the ground as Anzu stopped right behind them.

"What's going on?" she asked. Tanith looked up at her, eyes wide with fear.

"Them," he answered slowly.

"Who's 'them'?" Yugi asked but he didn't need Tanith's help to find out. In an instant, five Rare Hunters swooped down on them.

"Hey, lookie here, it's that little runt we've been following for the last week!" one of them said.

"What did you call me?" Tanith asked, fuming.

"Who cares about him? We've found Yugi Mutou. Master Malik will be pleased," a second one said. Yugi could tell he was grinning under his cape.

"So now what do we do?" the third one asked, but this time it was a female speaking. She continued, "You know we all can't duel him."

"So what do you suggest, Rya?" the first one asked.

"I think that-"

"I should duel him," Tanith interrupted. He sounded very different now, more serious and evil. Yugi looked at him incredulously.

"What are you talking about? They're after you, too," Yugi said as Tanith stood up and joined the Rare Hunters.

"I am so hoping that Pharaoh Yami isn't speaking right now because then he'd be an idiot and from what Master Malik tells me he absolutely is not," he responded. Yugi was even more confused now.

"You mean you're working for Malik?" Yugi asked.

"Now he gets it," Tanith answered like he was talking to himself.

"Well, he shouldn't be. Tanith you idiot! What are you doing?" the fourth asked.

"I'm doing what is needed to be done, Marces," he answered, frowning.

"That may be what you think, but you ruined the plan!" exclaimed Rya.

"Well of course he did; he's young, naive, and can't see past the end of his own nose," Marces said. "Obviously he can't think for himself."

"What did you say?" Tanith yelled. He charged Marces and they all started fight.

In all the confusion, Yugi got Anzu to follow him and he sneaked off in the opposite direction away from the Rare Hunters. They got out of earshot and eyesight before Yugi got up, grabbed Anzu, and ran down the alley. After about a minute though, he could hear shouts from the Rare Hunters as they realized he was gone. He urged Anzu to hurry as he quickened his pace. The alley was now pitch black so it was impossible to see where they were going. Yugi went to the wall and held his hand along it as they ran until he came by what he was looking for, an alcove in which they could hide. He pulled Anzu in and pressed his back against the wall. They heard a rush of footsteps run by as the Rare Hunters searched for them. When he thought it was safe, he walked cautiously to the edge of the alcove, but as soon as he got there a body ran into him, knocking him back against the wall, and he went out cold.

Yugi woke on a bed in a room as dark as the alley. His head hurt horribly as he sat up to look around, and even though he couldn't really see anything he could tell this probably wasn't normally someone's quarters. There were boxes stacked everywhere and anywhere, some stacked almost to the ceiling. A door stood in the wall across from him and in the middle of the room stood a high-backed chair facing away from him.

He stood up and noticed something was missing. The Puzzle was gone! He looked around frantically in case it had fallen off when he had been brought here but he knew it was no use. He also knew what had happened. He had knocked into Tanith in the alley and that's why he had gotten knocked out. The Rare Hunters had found him lying there and had taken him to Malik. Malik had taken his Puzzle and then put him here in this room to wait for the end.

Yugi felt awful about what had happened to his Puzzle and what may be happening to Yami at that moment. He started pacing by his bed and was wondering if any Rare Hunters were going to check on him when he heard voice say, "I was wondering when you'd wake." Yugi looked around the room for whoever was talking but he couldn't see anyone. The voice came again.

"I suppose you'll be wondering why you're here and not in the Shadow Realm," it said. The voice was cold and slow, as if it was trying to draw out the words to their fullest. Yugi still couldn't see where it was coming from.

"Yeah, something like that," he answered, looking around again. "Where are you?" A figure rose from the chair taking Yugi by surprise. The voice hadn't even come from that direction.

"You've been out for a while," it said. The voice was now definitely coming from the figure. It turned around so Yugi could clearly see him. He had glittering red eyes that almost glowed in the dark, the pupils were like slits across the eye and in these white-less eyes you could see death and destruction. His skin was almost paper-white like a ghost's and he was very tall with purple hair. He was wearing a long black trench coat that almost reached the floor and tall black boots. As Yugi stared at him he gave Yugi an evil smirk.

"My name is Tom," he said as Yugi continued to stare. "I was almost afraid you would never wake."

"How long was I asleep?" Yugi asked.

"Nearly six hours," Tom answered. He took a small ball out of his pocket and started tossing it up into the air.

"What is this place?" Yugi asked.

"One of our guest rooms. You're very lucky, most of our rooms aren't nearly this nice," Tom said. He looked at Yugi grimly. "I'm not sure why Master Malik likes you so much. I think you're rather dull." Tom walked around the chair to stand directly in front of Yugi.

"Why am I here?" Yugi asked. Tom had been waiting for this. He started to walk around Yugi.

"You're here because Master Malik says you're to be here," he answered, frowning. He stopped circling Yugi right next to him. "You're not in the Shadow Realm because he still needs you."

"For what?"

"He cannot get the Pharaoh's power if he hasn't won the Puzzle from you. He still needs you to duel him so he can win and rightfully own it and take the Pharaoh's power. He will soon be the most powerful being in the world!"

"Not if I stop him first!" Yugi said. Tom stopped

"Actually, that's what he's counting on; for you to try to get the Puzzle back. You'll inevitably duel him and he will win and then Malik will rule the world!"

"That'll never happen," Yugi said quietly. Tom gave him an ugly look.

"What will never happen?"

"Malik defeating me in a duel. He'll never be able to beat me so he'll never rule the world."

"That's what you think, Mutou. Malik is the best duelist in world. Even you, the one who beat Kaiba and Pegasus, couldn't beat him. I'm afraid you're out of luck."

"Not with the fate of a friend on the line. I'll do whatever it takes to beat your boss!"

"Then you'll be wasting your effort. He cannot be beaten."

"Well, I'll just have to prove that he can."

"Yes, well, he ordered me to tell you that you have two days, starting at midnight tonight, to find him, your Puzzle, and your friends. You must duel him to get your Puzzle, as well as your friends, back, and you're not allowed out of this room until then. Got it?"

"Yes"

"Good. I love when our captives are so ready to comply." Tom walked over to the door. "You have four hours to think about it and how you'll let down you're friends." He stepped out of the room and locked the door behind him. Yugi slumped down on the bed to think about what was going to happen.

After an hour, the door to Yugi's room opened and Bakura stepped over the threshold. He stopped just inside the door.

"So, we meet again, little Yugi," he said, glaring at Yugi.

"What are you doing here, Bakura?" Yugi asked as he stood up.

"I've been working with Malik."

"You've…what?"

"We made a deal. You happen to be a large part of it."

"You're working with Malik? Bakura, I thought you only worked for yourself."

"Times have changed. I've come down here to tell you about your friends."

"If you've done anything-"

"Trust me, we aren't about to do anything to your pitiful followers. Malik would rather use them as mind-slaves than kill them. But you see, we can use them for bargaining."

"What do you mean?"

"You've obviously agreed to duel Malik for the Millennium Puzzle?"

"Of course."

"Well, for your friends you'll have to give him your Egyptian God Card."

"What?"

"Those are the terms he's set."

"But I thought he had to duel for it."

"Not him, me"

"I…have to duel you?"

"No, you don't have to." Bakura turned back toward the door. "I just thought your friends were more important than one card."

"Who do you have captive?"

"Let's see, Anzu, that oaf Jonouchi, his sister, your grandfather, Honda, Mokuba, Mai Valentine, Otogi, Rebecca Hawkins, Yami, and my host, Ryou, of course. But you don't need to worry about him, there's nothing you can do."

"What? You captured all those people just to get me to give you the God Card?"

"Well, Seto Kaiba's in the same position as you. He only cares about his brother though; he told me he couldn't care less about the others. We had to chain him to the wall to keep him from attacking every Rare Hunter to enter his room."

"Why did you capture all those people? Some I barely even know."

"We figured you'd go to great lengths to save anyone, even if you didn't know them. Like, we kidnapped this one girl about 13 years old just for the fun of it. Her name is Maris, and you can try and save her as well but her room is one of the most heavily guarded, following only yours and Kaiba's." Bakura open the door a little bit so Yugi could see there were at least three Rare Hunters guarding his door. The door closed again. "We wanted to make sure you didn't escape somehow."

"Why are you guarding someone I don't even know?"

"She's…special. Malik gave me permission to put more than one guard at her door. She cannot escape without help." Bakura took a step out the door. "I'll give you time to think." The door shut and locked behind him, leaving Yugi alone again, or so he thought. Barely any time had passed when he heard movements from a corner behind him.

"Who's there?" he asked into the darkness. A thirteen-year-old girl stepped out from the shadows and even though Yugi was instantly reminded of Anzu, that passed as he saw the differences between them. The girl had very long chestnut-brown hair, down to her waist, and bright purple eyes, like Yugi's, but these eyes were fiery and cold. She was wearing a long, straight, white dress, like an ancient Egyptian might have worn, and sandals to match. She and Anzu could have been sisters otherwise and Yugi found himself staring at her for a long time. He apologized as soon as he realized it.

"Sorry, you reminded me of someone I know," he said apologetically.

"That's all right, it happens a lot," she answered. Her voice was as sweet as music, but sounded sad and lonely. She walked toward Yugi.

"Um, I'm not sure you're supposed to be here," Yugi said nervously as she moved closer.

"No, actually I'm not," she answered as she stopped five feet from him, Yugi noticed she wore an unusual necklace that reminded him of the Millennium Ring. It was a circle, quartered by a cross, with three spikes hanging off it, one at each of the intersections on the sides.

"My name is Maris. Bakura thought he trapped me in that room but I have other ways of escaping than the door." Yugi might have been imagining it but he thought that her voice had a certain longing when she spoke of Bakura.

"How?"

"I can walk through walls."

"You…_what?_"

"That's how I got here. I walked through the walls to see you. I met several people, someone named Jonouchi, and Anzu, and a little kid I think was Mokuba Kaiba. It took me a while but here I am. I almost blew it too because I got here right in the middle of Bakura's speech."

"But, how?"

"I don't know. I just discovered I had the talent one-day. But I'm wasting time, if Bakura finds I'm gone from the room, I don't know what might happen to me and everyone else trapped here."

"Why did you come to see me?"

"I wanted to ask you something. What powers do the Millennium Items have?" Yugi was nearly caught off his feet by this question. He looked at her suspiciously.

"Why?"

"Well, the whole reason we're here is because of the Millennium Items, isn't it? I wanted to know why they're so important."

"Well, I'm probably the worst person to ask about this; I'm just learning about them myself. I think most of them have the power to take you to another dimension, called the Shadow Realm. This dimension is horrible, if your mind isn't strong enough, your soul will get shredded throughout the Shadow Realm forever. That almost happened to me once."

"In your duel with Pegasus?"

"Yes. Pegasus's Millennium Eye is one of the most powerful Millennium Items. It gave him the ability to read anyone's mind he chose and they couldn't do a thing about it. Well, I sort-of prevented it. Yami and I switched minds in our duel so if he tried to see what card we'd put down we'd switch and the other person didn't know what it was either."

"Who's Yami?"

"He's the spirit of my Millennium Item, the Millennium Puzzle. I think it's the most powerful Item of all. Malik claims it contains the 'power of the Pharaoh' or Yami as I've discovered. This is supposedly an all powerful force that would allow him to rule the world."

"You don't have the Puzzle now though," Maris observed. Yugi looked really sad when she said this.

"No, Malik took it from me when I was captured."

"What about the other Items?"

"Malik owns the Millennium Rod, which allows him to posses or brainwash others. Bakura owns the Millennium Ring, which allows him to take peoples' souls from their bodies and put them into inanimate objects, like Duel Monsters cards. That's happened to me too. The Eye was also able to do this, but Pegasus chose to put the souls into blank cards, instead of real ones."

"That's four, what about the other three?"

"Well, this guy named Shadi owns the Millennium Key. I don't know much about this one because I've only seen it once. He can look into someone's mind with it, to see if you're good or bad. When he used it on me he was looking for a thief who had stolen Pegasus's Millennium Eye. Ishizu Ishtar owns the Millennium Necklace, which I think can see into the future and the past. I'm not sure, I've never seen her use it. I don't

know what the last one is."

"Wow," was all Maris could think of to say. Yugi was talking several long breaths. "So you've only seen six of the Items, and three have been used on you?"

"Something like that, yeah."

"Well, thank you so much," she said excitedly. "I'd better get back, from what I heard Bakura say he probably went to check on me as soon as he left."

"Yeah, he thinks you're 'special'." Yugi said as he sat down on the bed. Maris moved toward the wall.

"Well, I am aren't I? I think he might suspect but I really think he has feelings for me. As do you," she said unexpectedly and she walked through the wall without explaining further.

It was good thing she didn't stay to explain because as soon as her hand went through Bakura charged through the door.

"Maris!" he yelled angrily. He stared at Yugi like he might have the answers. "Where is she? I know she came to see you!"

"I don't know," Yugi lied quickly. "I thought she couldn't escape. You told me she had almost as many guards at her door as I did. How could she get out of her room and into mine past, what, twelve guards?" Bakura didn't answer; he just slammed the door and walked quickly off toward her room again. Yugi breathed a sigh of relief; Maris was safe, for now. He only hoped she'd get back before Bakura and didn't get into trouble.


	2. The Challenge

Calai'di–At the end of this chapter, there's a riddle, and the answer is in the next chapter. This will happen with each riddle. When, or if, you review, I'd like you to answer the riddle in the review. There'll be virtual plushies and chocolate for those who get it right! Have fun!

Chapter 2: The Challenge

__

I can't believe what I got myself into, Seto Kaiba thought as he sat on his bed, arms chained to the wall. He looked up at the door, almost hopelessly. _What did I get Mokuba into? They captured him just to get to me. I can't believe I got him into this._

"Let me go you freaks!" he yelled at the door in frustration. It opened and a hooded head popped in.

"Hey, shut up!" it said and surprisingly, it was a female voice.

"Could I talk to you for a second?" Kaiba asked. The hood looked around.

"Well, all right, but only for a second. I'll get in trouble if I'm found not at my post," she answered. She closed the door behind her as she stepped inside. "What is it?"

"Could you tell me how my brother is doing?"

"Well I'm really not supposed to."

"I really don't care if you're not supposed to, and you're not going to care either if you don't tell me now."

"He-he's d-doing fine. We haven't done anything to him yet-"

"What do you mean 'yet'?"

"Malik isn't about to do anything to you, your brother, or his friends while you still have what he wants."

"I could care less what happens to Yugi and his friends. Could you take off that stupid hood?" The Rare Hunter did so and Kaiba couldn't believe his eyes. Standing in front of him was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She was quite tall, very thin and pretty pale. She had shoulder-length jet black hair and piercing eyes that go from blue to green, and there was a jewel embedded in the skin at the base of her neck. As he had already noticed, her voice was sweet and cool. He was struck dumb for a moment but recovered and said, "What's your name?"

"My name's Kelsey. Don't worry about your brother for now; when midnight comes you can start worrying about him. At midnight you'll be allowed to look for him so I wouldn't do anything stupid before that if I were you."

"You know, you don't act like any of the other Rare Hunters I've met."

"That's because," she looked around nervously, "I'm not."

"What?"

"I'm…not really a Rare Hunter."

"Than why are you here?"

"I'm a spy for a man called Shadi. He wanted me to keep an eye on Malik, to make sure he doesn't get the Millennium Puzzle."

"So all of this is about the Millennium Item things?"

"Yes."

"Than why am I here?"

"For your Egyptian God Card. Malik is trying to get the three Egyptian God Cards and the Millennium Puzzle. If he obtains all four he will have enough power to rule the world. Shadi hopes to prevent that."

"If he thinks he can get my Egyptian God Card easily, then he is very much mistaken. You can tell Malik he can take his business elsewhere."

"But what about your brother?"

"I intend to rescue him."

"Well you have two hours to figure out how to." Kelsey put her hood back on. "In the mean time, I have to get back outside; I've spent entirely too long here."

"Fine, tell me when it's midnight, all right?"

"I'll do that," she answered, and she left the room. Kaiba continued to think.

Outside, Kelsey got in trouble for being in there for so long. But as soon as the other Rare Hunters started to question her, Bakura ran past frantically. It looked like he was headed for the Forbidden Room.

Bakura rushed past the room where Kaiba was being held, and even though he noticed that one of the guards might be in trouble with the others he didn't stop to see what was wrong. He had to get to Maris's room, had to find out why she hadn't been there minutes earlier. As soon as the he reached the door he slammed it open, and to his surprise Maris was pacing in front of her bed like she'd been there the entire time. He stood stunned in the doorway until Maris looked over at him and said, "Can I help you, Bakura?"

"Where were you?" he asked through clenched teeth. Maris looked politely confused.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"That last time I came in here you weren't here, Maris."

"I was hiding."

"I searched the whole room; you weren't here."

"If I don't want to be found, you won't be able to find me, Bakura, you and anyone else here." She turned toward the back wall and walked into the shadows where she turned to face Bakura again. He could barely see her standing there which was the very effect she wanted. Bakura scowled into the darkness where he thought he saw Maris standing. Her voice came out of the shadows.

"May I speak to your host, Bakura?"

"What?"

"Your host, may I talk to him? Please?" she asked in her sweetest voice possible. Bakura obliged, so after a moment a more pleasant voice came from Bakura.

"You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes, why is your Item's spirit and Malik keeping me here?"

"Because, he likes you."

"I thought so. Any other reason?"

"He suspects there's something different about you. I also sense something strange about you; what is it?"

"I can't tell you."

"I understand. I'm going to switch with him now, but first I have to tell you, I like you to." And with that, the spirit of the Ring came out again. He closed the door and walked to the middle of the room where he could see Maris better.

"You're not going to leave this room again, Maris."

"And how are you going to stop me?"

"I'm going to stay here until we free Yugi and Kaiba, and if I do have to leave this room there will be a Rare Hunter in here to watch you."

"I don't need a baby-sitter; I can handle myself."

"I'm not so sure about that; if you can't stay where you're told you'll have to take the consequences." He sat down on the bed facing the door. Maris came out of the shadows and stood next to him.

"Will this change your mind?" she asked and she kissed him on the cheek. He sat stunned for a second but then shook his head and said, "Nice try, but no." Maris turned and sat down on the bed opposite Bakura facing away from the door.

"I'll find some way out."

__

Yugi, help me.

The voice came out of nowhere and startled Yugi. He could have sworn he heard Yami asking for his help. He shook his head; it couldn't be Yami, he didn't have the Puzzle anymore so their connection was broken. But then it came again.

__

Yugi, you have to believe. Help me.

"Yami?" he called out, even though he knew it wasn't possible for Yami to hear him. How very mistaken he was.

__

I'm here. I can help you, but only if you believe.

"Where are you?"

__

I'm not sure, but I'm in the same building you are.

"How can you talk to me? I thought since I don't have the Puzzle our connection was broken."

__

It's very weak. We can still communicate since we've merged so often, but you can't see me and I can't stay long.

"How will you help me?"

__

I can guide you through the building to help you find your friends.

"What about you?"

__

You'll have to find me on your own.

"What?"

__

This is dangerous enough as it is. If Malik finds out we can communicate, he can and will prevent us from doing so.

"What if I lose the duel against Malik?"

__

I have faith in you, Yugi. As long as you believe in your deck and in yourself you'll defeat him.

"That's what Grandpa always told me."

__

Yes, and he was usually right. I'm going to leave you now.

"What? Why? You just got here."

__

I can't stay long, for risk of Malik finding out. Just trust in your deck and yourself and there's nothing you can't do. You've made me very proud and I believe in you. I'm counting on you, Yugi.

And that was it. Yami's voice faded leaving Yugi alone in the darkness. Time was running out and Yugi didn't have a clue how he was going to help Yami and his friends. Yami had told him to trust in his deck and in himself, but at the moment that was kind of hard.

He slumped down again and ran the latest events through his head. He had met a seemingly starting duelist who had actually been a Rare Hunter. He had been kidnapped and stripped of his Puzzle but still had to duel for it, as well as his friends. A girl younger than himself could walk through walls and had done so just to see him and ask him about the Millennium Items. And now he'd discovered he could talk to Yami even though he didn't have the Puzzle and probably wasn't even close to it. He didn't think Malik would keep it right above his head or in the room right next door. He also didn't think his friends would be nearby, but he did know what direction Maris's room was; he had seen her go that way when she had left and Bakura's footsteps had gone the same way when he had gone to check on her. Well, at least he knew where someone that could help him was. Other than that, everything seemed so hopeless. Yugi sighed, fell back onto the bed and dozed off.

An hour later, the door opened and Bakura stepped in. The four hours were up and he had come to tell Yugi so.

"Yugi, Malik requires your presence."

"Oh he does. Why? To tell me of the 'certain doom' awaiting me and my friends?"

"Yes, something like that."

"And you've come here to lead me to him, and to make sure I don't see anything I'm not supposed to and don't attack anyone?"

"You catch on quickly, little Yugi. Come on." Yugi followed Bakura out of the room and to the left down a large hall that was very much like the alley where he'd been captured. He knew this way was opposite Maris's room and he intended to go straight there when he was allowed to search for his friends and the Puzzle. Bakura turned right then right again and Yugi was careful to remember exactly which way they turned so he didn't waste time later. Two days didn't seem like enough time to find his friends, find the Puzzle, duel for it, and win. Bakura stopped in front of a set of double doors and opened them dramatically saying, "Welcome, Yugi, to the beginning of your doom."

The room was dark, but not dark enough so that you couldn't see anything. Yugi saw Kaiba had already been brought here. There was a throne-like chair standing near the back of the room and who was sitting on it but Malik himself. Yugi could tell he was really pleased about something. Bakura guided Yugi to the middle of the room to stand beside Kaiba as Malik started to speak.

"Yugi and Kaiba, how good it is to see you again." he began. Kaiba was straining to get out of grip of the Rare Hunter restraining him and he almost did but the Rare Hunter was to fast for him. There was hatred on his face like Yugi had never seen before, even back in Duelist Kingdom when Pegasus had kidnapped Mokuba. Malik continued.

"As I'm sure you know, you are the last hope of your friends and family, for if you fail I'll turn them into mind slaves-"

"You wouldn't!" Kaiba interrupted.

"I assure you, I would, Kaiba, even your brother, Mokuba. However there's more at stake here than just your loved ones. If you fail, you will be sent to the Shadow Realm to spend all of eternity lonely and your friends lost forever. Make no mistake, your friends will be the first to go after you, especially Pharaoh Yami. I'm sure he'd be joining you in the Shadow Realm, Yugi, very soon after that." Yugi tried to run and attack Malik but was held back by Bakura and his own conscience. No matter how foul Malik was, attacking him wouldn't solve anything. Kaiba looked at Yugi in surprise since he never thought Yugi would even try to attack someone. Malik just gave him a small smile.

"As I'm sure you know what I want from both of you I'll explain the rules of our little game-" This time he was interrupted by Yugi.

"Game? How you can you think this is a game, Malik?"

"Quite easily. Now, to the rules, you have two days to find your friends, or possessions, and find me or Bakura to duel for them. If you win, you'll be let free, but if you lose you'll be sent to the Shadow Realm and your friends will be mine forever. This building is four stories tall and is square with ten rooms to a side and many more in the middle. Your friends, Bakura and myself will be anywhere in the building but you can't go into any of the rooms as soon as you come to them. There will be a riddle on the door as well as a voice recognition lock. If you answer the riddle correctly, the door will open to see if you found your friends or not. There will also be food and water in some rooms and if you find those you'll survive these two days. Oh yes, and if you answer a riddle incorrectly, on higher floors the floor will open causing you to fall to the one below it, and on the bottom floor the room will switch places with another some place else. And the rooms are sound proof so if anyone's inside you can't hear them but they can hear you. The rooms you were in aren't marked and have already closed so if you thought you could go from there you're very mistaken. Got it?"

"Yes," Yugi and Kaiba said at the same time. Malik stood up and started walking toward the door.

"Good, you can leave to find you're friends now, and you may work together. Bakura, with me!" Malik walked out the door and Bakura followed leaving Yugi and Kaiba standing there half-dumb struck. Kaiba turned to face Yugi.

"I want one thing clear right now, Yugi, I'm only in this for my brother. I'm not going to help you find your friends, so you're on your own there." He headed for the door.

"Kaiba wait! You may not think you need my help but you do! I know someone who can help us find your brother!"

"What? You better not be joking, Yugi"

"I'm not. If you follow me you'll see."

"All right, but after we find my brother, you're on your own."

"Fine. Come on!" Yugi ran out the door and to the left with Kaiba close behind.

They reached the hall Yugi remembered his room was in and he slowed down. Luckily, he knew his room was the second one from the wall so from there he had to go to the right away from it to find Maris's room. He ran down the hall to the end and stopped as he reached a door. From now on he could only guess which door was hers. As he stared at the door trying to figure out what to do a riddle appeared in flaming red letters.

__

The sun decides where it shall go,

Through the sky and twelve cycles it shall flow.

And have you any thought at all,

You will know what sign is your own.

In China and elsewhere these signs are called thus:

Choose carefully, and you will know what is within.


	3. The Second Riddle

Calai'di–Yay, someone reviewed! Okay, **Silver Moon Phoenix** got the answer to the riddle so she gets a virtual little Yugi plushie and a giant bar of chocolate! Good job!

__

The sun decides where it shall go,

Through the sky and twelve cycles it shall flow.

And have you any thought at all,

You will know what sign is your own.

In China and elsewhere these signs are called thus:

Choose carefully, and you will know what is within.

Yugi examined the riddle closely; riddles had never been his specialty but he didn't want to mess this up. He knew he should have thought of the answer immediately, but none of the clues added up. What did it mean when it said, " the sun decides where it shall go?" And "twelve cycles?" Nothing made sense. "Signs?" And how did China fit in with all this? Well, now he knew why Malik was so confident, what he had them doing was impossible. Then he heard Yami's voice in his head.

__

So, have you figured it out yet?

No, he thought back,_ none of it fits._

Yes it does. Look at the clues, the sun, the sky, twelve, cycles, signs, China and elsewhere. It all adds up to one thing; what does Chinese mythology promote the most?

The Zodiac?

Yes, and I think that's the answer to the riddle.

Now I see, they do add up.

"The Zodiac," Yugi said and the door clicked open.

"Finally," Kaiba said and he pushed Yugi aside to walk in the door. He didn't get very far though.

"It's empty," he said at last as he stared into the dark seemingly empty room.

"What?" Yugi said and he ran in to check it out. Why wasn't Maris here? Then he saw something looming in the darkness next to him.

"It isn't empty, there are stairs here, some that lead down and up."

"That means we're on one of the middle levels."

"Yes, I know."

__

Who do you want to find first, Yugi?

Maris.

Than go up the stairs.

"Kaiba, follow me!" Yugi started to run up the set of stairs next to him.

"Where are you going?" Kaiba asked as he followed.

"To find your brother!" Yugi answered. The stairway was much longer than Yugi expected and Yugi found himself wishing to get to the top more then wishing to find his friends. Finally, he got there. _Well, _he thought, _we certainly don't want to answer a riddle wrong._ He heard Kaiba come up behind him and Yugi started off toward the door. Since he was inside the room the door opened without any difficulty. He turned into the hallway and to the right but had second-doubts when he heard Kaiba say, "Yugi, that's my room."

Yugi whirled around and saw Kaiba was staring and pointing at door to their left. Now Yugi was even more confused. Maris hadn't said that she'd gone through Kaiba's room to get to his. He called out silently to Yami.

__

You're on the right track, if that's what you're wondering.

Thanks, which way?

To the left.

Yugi ran down the hall to his left this time with Kaiba close behind.

As he got to the end of the hall, he stopped to look around. He didn't call out to Yami though; too many times might be rude and he didn't know how long their connection would last. Besides, he didn't want Yami to get in trouble with Malik, the things that might happen to him… From here, guesswork might be the better route to take. After a minute, he decided to go for a room to his right, three doors down the hall. As soon as he stopped in front of it, a riddle appeared in the same flaming red letters.

__

A color which has no rhyme,

Regal and well defined,

Wise and learned throughout time,

Rome may help you on your way,

For a color of night, not of day.


End file.
